


Gambling the Odds

by Tairulz



Series: Tairulz's Komahina Stories [9]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Gambling, Kakegurui AU, M/M, Multi, No Despair AU, Tags/character tags will be added as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-06-13 06:45:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15358581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tairulz/pseuds/Tairulz
Summary: Hope's Peak AcademyAn elite school where your merit isn't decided by your social status, how rich you are, or even your grades... Instead gambling is the soul and life-blood of this prestigious school.There was no one and nothing that could defy the order of things around here. Once you're in too deep, there is no climbing back out. No matter how rich or brave you think you are, it is always accepted as fact in the end.... There's an exception to every rule, apparently





	1. Prologue - Hope's Peak Academy

**Author's Note:**

> This is the start of my Kakegurui AU, it’s a gambling high school anime on Netflix. I actually really liked it, and I do recommend it.
> 
> (Though ps: some of of the exaggerated faces though… Honey, Komaeda’s chapter 1 cackling is taaaame - other then that the anime’s good though)
> 
> Some of the series’ key events will stay the same, but other things will be handled slightly differently. I have a few select ideas I hope you’ll all like.

_“Go!” “Go!” “Go!”_

Hazel eyes furrowed.The cards in his hand looked promising. What if he-

“Hahaha! You look so fuckin hopeless right now!”

Gritting his teeth, he clinched his hand, crinkling the cards a little. 

“You know what happens if you lose~”

_‘I can still-!’_

“Ha! Read em and weep pretty boy!”

His eyes widened at the other set of cards that were displayed to him!

“Wha-?! No way!”

“Aww look at your face… Positively despair inducing! Ahahahahaha!”

No…. No! If he lost now, in this school, that’d mean…!

“Sucked in loser! One house pet, coming up!”

_'What…?!'_

… …

Hope’s Peak Academy. One of the most elite schools in the academy.

Now one would think maybe it specialise in talents, or perhaps academics. Maybe a long line of proud tradition? Or maybe even simply a _very_ successful fancy private school.

Nope.

Hope’s Peak Academy, revered school and the only one of it’s kind, specialises in…

Gambling.

That’s right, you heard me correctly.

Gambling.

It’s the life blood of this school. Roulette, poker, and and all kinds of gambling games run rampant through the hallowed halls. Most days, you can’t look ten feet in any direction without witnessing some sort of spectacle going on.

My name is Hajime Hinata.

And this school is fucking insane.

When I first transferred into this school, it was a dream come true, but I was horribly naïve. Everybody knew about the gambling, it wasn’t exactly a secret. But that’s where I made my mistake.

It was an elite, a rich kid academy where maybe they wanted to let off some steam after class? Perhaps it was a school sponsored event, or even something like extra club activities after school? I didn’t know, the possibilities were endless.

I didn’t know _anything_.

If I could… I would laugh at my previous self. 

Did I mention this school was fucking insane?

I did? Good.

Because it is.

You could be anyone. A model, a five star chef, even the prime ministers son himself. But no matter who you are, all were brought to their knees just the same in this twisted school of gambling. One wrong poker hand, one fatal mistake in even the simplest of games, and you were as good as doomed.

No one was immune, and no one could escape it.

And then I met someone, a boy, someone who (to be terribly cliché) would change my life forever.

This boy was the most fucking insane of them all.

There were rumours about him. How he would go to such great lengths for a gamble,one of the weirdest students to ever walk the halls. A lot of people have their specialties. But him, him, oh boy… He belongs in a category all his own. 

The most insane, dangerous, ruthless one of the bunch. Not even the rest of his class combined were as… uh, _enthusiastic_ about gambling as he was.

But despite that… He wasn’t that bad of a guy.

I know, I know. I talk this kid up to sound like the most psychopathic boy to ever walk the earth, now suddenly he’s the good guy?

He’s… complicated. That’s really the most accurate thing I can say about him.

Insane, damaged, _clearly_ not normal…

And yet he became my best friend. 

So buckle up kids, this is gonna be a wild ride.

This is the story of how my life was turned completely upside down.

This is the story… _his_ story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo… This is my latest pet project. A prologue of one of my many unwritten story ideas. 
> 
> The prologue was written more like a teaser/introduction, but you might guess most of what’s going on anyway.
> 
> I saw Kakegurui on Netflix and was instantly hooked. Even with all the exaggerated facial expression I really liked the anime.
> 
> There IS a live action, but I didn’t think it was as good. The characters looked okay, and it followed the original plot pretty well. My main problem was how Ryota was just way to campy and screamy, if I’m being perfectly honest live action Ryota annoyed me (like stop his screaming and go back to the overhead/silent narration already). But hey, that’s just my opinion.
> 
> So anyway, I have most of the character roles planned out. I just need to find characters to be Yuriko, the Vice President, and the council secretary. You guys have any good suggestions? (I was thinking about Fuyuhiko for Yuriko, but I don’t know).
> 
> Here’s who I have so far:
> 
> • Yumeko - Komaeda  
> • Ryota - Hinata  
> • Mary - Junko  
> • Itsuki - Natsumi Kuzuryuu 
> 
> Council:  
> • President - Tsumugi  
> • Vice - Tsumugi twin OC (maybe?)  
> • Secretary - ??  
> • Candy game girl - Hiyoko Saionji  
> • Yumemi/Idol girl - Sayaka Maizono  
> • Glasses guy /treasurer - Togami  
> • Midori - Miu Iruma  
> Yuriko - ??
> 
> Either way, I hope to entertain you with my latest crazy plot idea.
> 
> Cya next chapter :)
> 
> Tairulz


	2. The New Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Author is so sorry she took so long to get the next chapter finished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So good news: Aside from the VP and the secretary, I have most of the roles filled out. That being said, who’d be better in Yuriko’s role, Sonia or Celes? I personally think Celes, but what do you guys think?
> 
> These are just my top ideas for now though. If you think there’s a better suit for those specific roles named above, feel free to add input. (Refer to chapter ones end author notes for characters that have already been used if you’re unsure).
> 
> Bad news: Work at my business course is piling up, blegh. But I’m still going to try and update whenever I can.
> 
> I made it a week since class started, so it’s enough time for him to land himself in a tight spot, but also soon enough that I can introduce an idea that I’ve thought of. It’s altering the anime’s rules a slight bit, but I want to try it out and see what you guys think. (Edit: You’ll see it next chapter most likely, if not soon after that.)
> 
> So anyway, here’s the latest instalment, hope you all like it.
> 
> (unnecessary) disclaimer: I do not own either Kakegurui or Danganronpa

“Alright everyone, settle down!” The class was buzzing with chatter. “Settle down everyone! I have an announcement to make.”

Hajime didn’t particularly care. Class had started a week ago, and already he just couldn’t be bothered paying attention sometimes. Like now, for instance.

Seeing little improvement, the teacher sighed. She turned her head to the door.

“You may come in now.”

The teacher’s eyes twitched slightly, seeing this was what finally got the other students paying attention. Hajime himself was mildly curious, so he turned his head from where it was resting in his hand.

A boy walked in. Tall and pale skin, with white hair all over his head like a halo of fluffy snow. He could see some of the girls around him swooning and giggling.

“Who is that?”

“He’s pretty cute.”

“I wonder if he has a girlfriend.”

And so on and so forth. Hajime resisted groaning. Yeah the boy was cute, but damn did those girls need to chill a bit. Not even two minutes in his presence and he could practically see one of the girls planning her wedding. Jeez.

“I am Nagito Komaeda, it’s nice to meet you all.”

Meanwhile, the boys mostly either looked intrigued or jealous.

“Huh, he looks like an interesting guy.”

“Damn it, girls always go for the pretty boy.”

“It’s not his fault your ugly.”

“Hey!”

If he could hear the whispering, he didn’t react one way or another. He just greeted the class in a whimsical voice and a pleasant smile on his face.

If Hajime was being honest, the new boy did have a pretty nice voice. But it was merely a brief observation, if nothing else. 

“Hajime would you please raise your hand?”

Okay, that caught his attention. Even before he realised it he’d sat up straight. After a second he realise he’d almost forgotten and raised his hand.

Ice green eyes turned to gaze in his direction.

“Mr Hinata here is the class president, so I’m sure he’d be able to help you around the school. Won’t you Hajime?”

“Yes ma’m.” _‘We both know that’s not why you asked me to do it’_

“Excellent. Why don’t you take the seat next to him?”

_‘Uh oh…’_

He plastered a polite smile on his face as the new boy approached. A pale hand reached for his in polite greeting as the other sat down.

“I’ve already introduced myself, but I’m Nagito Komaeda. Thank you so much for showing me around.”

“Likewise Nagito. I know the teacher introduced me, but I’m Hajime Hinata. I’m glad to be of help.” He took the offered hand and shook it briefly.

“You said you’d be glad to help, yeah?”

“Yeah…?” A brown eyebrow raised.

“Great!” The other boy leaned close enough for Hajime to see individual white strands. “So… Where’s the food?”

Hajime blinked, then before he could realise it he’d started laughing. The albino leaned back in his seat, letting out his own small laugh at Hajime’s reaction.

_‘I guess my situation does have at least some benefits’_

Behind the two boys, blue eyes glared angrily.

…

Hajime could admit the scenery was beautiful, well kept garden, grand walls, and the paths that went around the school were all of a very high quality and design, though of course this was to be expected from a grand academy like Hopes Peak.

Though right now, this wasn’t what held his attention.

“Hey Hajime, may I ask what that is?”

_‘No, no, no please don’t be-’_

A slender finger pointed directly at the chain around Hajime’s neck.

He sighed, turning around. He knew this would be brought up at some point.

“Nagito?”

The boy behind him blinked. “Yes?”

“How… How good are you at gambling?”

“Gambling? Hmm… I can’t say very good. I mean I’m familiar with some of the more popular games like poker and blackjack… But as for skill, I wouldn’t say I’m anything special.”

Turning back around, Hajime briefly clenched his fist before sighing.

“Then…get out while you still can Nagito, for your own good.”

“What?” In a video game, Hajime was sure there’d be a question mark above the albino’s head.

“You heard me, for normal students like me, this place is dangerous. This school runs entirely on high stakes gambling, bets go up by the millions in the blink of an eye.”

“… Is that so?”

“Yes! This school is very dangerous.” Hajime waved his arms for emphasis. “There are many expert gamblers here, and if you’re not careful or any good at gambling, it’s only a matter of time before someone comes along to challenge you.” 

“Oh…? A challenge? How exciting!”

“Ex… citing?” Hajime repeated, baffled. 

“It sounds so thrilling!” Eyes and smile widening to an almost frightening degree. “This school was definitely a good choice!”

“W-what?!”

Without warning, Nagito started walking back towards the school building.

“Are you coming Hajime?”

Hajime blinked, jolting out of his stunned state.

“Coming!”

…

Class, despite the concerning recess, had then gone as usual, students being more excited for what was to come later, rather then paying proper attention to whatever the teacher was trying to say. A few here and there were actually working, but mostly it was excited gossiping that was prominent in the room.

Although, when he glanced over at Nagito, he saw the boy dutifully taking notes. Hajime was both amused and exasperated when he saw the group of girls slowly realise the ‘cute new boy’ was actually doing his work, and they then rushed to followed suit.

“He must be smart.”

“Do you think a smart girl would impress him?”

“Shh he’ll hear you!”

Hajime barely resisted rolling his eyes.

Good god were they transparent. It’s not like he specifically wanted to be rude to these girls, but surely if Nagito was paying attention it would have been obvious what was going on. The teacher didn’t seem to care though, if she actually noticed. She’d most likely just be happy that those few girls were doing their work at all.

And so the time went. Nagito and a select small group of other students diligently doing their work, and everyone else (Hajime could admit this included him as well), paying varying degrees of attention.

A hand slammed on wood.

Hajime, who had been daydreaming, snapped back into reality at this new sound.

“Sooooo… pretty new boy…~”

Oh no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ice green is now my favourite way to describe Nagito’s eye colour. (It’s a personal pet peeve when I see them described as blue)
> 
> I accidentally left my iPad that I was writing on at my aunts. Thank god I have word also connected to my phone, or else this chapter would have been delayed further.
> 
> I wasn’t sure when to stop this chapter, but I think I found a good spot.
> 
> Sorry this chapter took a while. I wanted to find a good way about this, following the same plot points while still doing my own thing. How well that worked I don’t know, but hey, I finally managed to finish this.
> 
> So anyway. I don’t have much to say at the moment, I’m glad all you lovely readers are sticking around to enjoy my works.
> 
> Cya next chapter 
> 
> Tairulz


	3. Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part one of our showdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY
> 
> I cannot express how sorry I am that you had to wait this long for the next chapter.
> 
> I originally started this back right after I posted chapter 2, but didn’t finish it until now, because being both lazy and not sleeping properly is a bitch to one’s motivation levels.
> 
> (Also my current business course, im gonna cry if I ever have to read the words ‘mail merge’ again…)
> 
> Lol not much else to say this time. Anything else I’ll jot down in my end notes
> 
> Enjoy the results of my hairbrained scheme, lovelies~

“Hello, pretty new boy~” the smile she wore was as fake as her long red nails.

Oh no.

If Nagito noticed, he didn’t comment, only continuing to smile cheerfully.

“Aha that’s nice of you to say, but I don’t really think of myself as anything special. Though it’s always nice to meet a classmate, miss…?”

Blue eyes gleamed as she stuck her hand out.

“The names Junko Enoshima, it’s tooootally nice to meetcha too!”

“Well then, Junko, it’s nice to talk to you… but did you have business with me?”

Looking at her smile was like staring into the maw of the deadliest shark.

“Well you see Nagito dear, I have a very special welcome ritual I like to use to welcome new classmates~” She held up two fingers in a peace sign. “And so, as I’m sure your intelligent little brain has worked out…”

“You’d like to welcome me? Oh how kind of you, really, I’m sure I’m not worth the effort.”

“Nonsense! I insist.”

“Aha, alright, it would be rude of me to deny such kindness. So, what is this ritual you’re taking about?”

_‘Please don’t be…’_

“I’d like to play a little game with you! Whadya say?”

“No Nag-”

“I’d love to!”

This wasn’t good.

This really wasn’t good.

“You shouldn’t-”

Red nails almost scratched his neck.

“Shut up and go fetch the chips.”

“But-”

“I said, _house pet_ , go fetch the chips.”

Knowing it would only end badly for him, he sighed, and went to go do as he was asked.

Missing the blank ice green stare behind his back.

_‘Please be careful Nagito’_

… …

Curtains were drawn.

A crowd was formed.

The table and two chairs had been set in the centre of the room, Nagito and Junko taking a seat across from each other.

Hajime had to resist the urge to bite his nails nervously. He knew this scenario, he knew it far too well.

He knew how this would end.

And yet, he was powerless to stop it. He was a house pet, a reserve course, so he didn’t have the power to do anything. The twin sapphires smirking at him only drove this point home further.

Even after becoming a house pet, he hadn’t felt as helpless as he did in this moment. 

… …

“Soooo, pretty boy, were gonna play a little game.”

“Oh?” Nagito sat calmly as two other students in the class brought in a metal box. “How nice! What game are we going to play?”

“Wellllll…. It a little game our class likes to play. A tooootally new variation of ‘Rock Paper Scissors’, you do know how to play that, right?”

“Of course.”

“Sweet~ it’d be sad if such a pretty little brain like yours didn’t understand something so basic!”

Hajime shifted uncomfortably, standing behind Nagito.

“Soooo, explanation time~ instead of the usual way, each student in class will place a paper in the metal box here,” She tapped a nail against the box for emphasis. “And each paper will contain one of three drawings on it, Rock, Paper, or Scissors. We each draw three, and we both select one to reveal at the same time for a showdown!”

“Ah, I see.” Nagito was still wearing that carefree smile. “How creative.”

Junko giggled, which again to Hajime was about as real as her long red nails.

“But wait, there’s more! If we both draw the same card, that’s a tie, so then we both pick a second one from our hand, we keep this up until one of us is eventually declared the winner of the round.” 

“And if we draw all three times?”

Junko’s currently gesturing pointer finger jittered, almost unnoticeable, as if she hadn’t expected this question. In all fairness, Hajime didn’t think she had.

Not many people even got that far.

“Ah, that’s a super rare thing to happen! But of course a smart boy like you would think of that.”

_‘Not really, anyone could have thought of that’_

“Aha, I’m flattered.”

“In that event sweet cheeks, we just draw a new set of three cards.”

The albino gave no reaction to the nickname. “Oh, of course. What a delightfully simple solution.”

“Well then.” Even though Junko was smiling, Hajime only felt fear. “Let’s get the game started, yes?"

"We’ll start with ten thousand dollar chips, here’s one hundred and twenty to start you off with.” She continued without a care in the world. “And since your new, I’ll let you pick how much we bet first. How does that sound?”

“Oh wow really? Thank you, how considerate.” Nagito only continued to smile cheerfully. 

“Oh? Think nothing of it!”

_‘Literally’_

He wanted so bad to shout, to warn Nagito. He hadn’t known the other boy long, not even a day, but he didn’t deserve this.

He didn’t deserve to end up like _him_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwahaha, the evil cliffhanger, lol part two will follow shortly, but it’s late and I’m tired.
> 
> Yeah, yeah, I used dollars instead of yen, sue me.
> 
> (Actually please don’t, I need the validation ahaha…)
> 
> Lol cringy joke attempts aside, I really am sorry it took this long to get the next chapter out. I feel really bad actually.
> 
> Do you know what I did? When I first started this story, I went out and bought a book on gambling games “Hoyle’s Rules of Games – Second Revised Edition” from a seconds hand store for a couple of bucks, that’s how invested I was in this au. And dammit I still am, despite my once in a blue moon update schedule 
> 
> (The book is small and a long read with tiny writing, God the suffering just for one au… Lol kidding no regrets)
> 
> So anyway, I was having a discussion with a friend, bouncing some thoughts off them, and this is the final cast roles I have decided upon:
> 
> Main cast:  
> • Yumeko - Komaeda  
> • Ryota - Hinata  
> • Mary - Junko  
> • Itsuki - Natsumi
> 
> Council:  
> • President - Tsumugi  
> • Vice - Kirigiri  
> • Secretary - Tsumiki  
> • Candy game girl - Hiyoko Saionji  
> • Idol girl - Sayaka Maizono (with Naegi as assistant)  
> • Glasses guy /treasurer - Togami  
> • Midori - Miu Iruma  
> • Yuriko -Celes
> 
> So that’s who will be playing what general role in the story. That’s not to say other characters won’t get their own scene with a chance to shine, but as for the main places in the story these are the ones I’ve chosen.
> 
> And you are more then welcome to have and voice your own opinion, but no I will not budge on these. I’m happy with what I’ve picked, so I hope you’ll all like what I do with the list I’ve provided
> 
> So this means that while key events in the anime will still be included, there will also be several other scenes I will include of my own creation.
> 
> Cya next chapter :)
> 
> Tairulz


End file.
